Pok'emon Journey! Frontier Stories
by Embara626
Summary: Follow Mica and his tales as he travels through the Frontier and also shows some of the meanings to being one of the Elite. (This story takes place during the events of Pokemon Journey. So in order to get the full effect, we suggest you read it as well.)
1. Chapter 1

**Embara here. All of chapters 1-7 take place during the first season of A Journey of Three. I'll leave another author's note when the next part begins and ends. Happy reading everyone!**

**Frontier Stories: Episode 1**

I looked up from the screen of my laptop before I gently shut it. I let out a bit of a sigh as I brought my mug of now cooled coffee forth. It was a quiet and mostly serene room which only furthered my writers block as nothing brought forth any form of inspiration. After the moment of stillness I rose to my feet and began to walk into the living room area of the cabin, which just so you know, was built just for me during my stay.

Walking, I passed one of, if not my best Pokémon ally, Fey the Espeon. The creature lay fast asleep on the couch looking peaceful. I needed the fresh air which I was soon greeted with as I passed through the back door to see the dusty ground and oasis. This was the Gible Reserve I had found for the spectacular endangered Pokémon known as Gible.

I watched a few of the creatures run across the field, a small dirt trail winding around the grounds with the distinguishable small fins that protrude from the ground. Before I had enough time to truly soak in the scene I heard the television turn on.

Sure enough as I turned around to look inside, there sat Fey switching through the channels by slapping her paw on the remote. More than likely she was looking for the news she seems to like on.

"Goood Morning Sinnoh. It is a b-e-a-utiful day outside the Western side of Mt. Coronet, but look out Veilstone City, you're going to have some late showers and there's a chance of minor flooding around the Lake Resort

In other news, the Sinnoh Pokémon League Championship has completely finished its eventful Tournament and we saw the crown given to a young budding Trainer simply known as Saibot, an upcoming star who has taken her second consecutive win in a major tournament. This afternoon she is scheduled to ascend the League tower to challenge the Elite Four and with any luck, our lovely Champion Cynthia. All for the chance of the grand prize of 1,000,000 Poke, Her name written in the stone of the Hall of Fame, and of course the ever coveted invite to the Grand World Championship in the Heart of the World, the Frontier!.."

I sighed as I turned out the screen, knowing quite well all about the recent Sinnoh League, and more than a little upset at my inability to go. That thought aside, I made my way into the small studio where I knew Kiera, my wonderful girlfriend and one of my best friends, had been busy at work on her fashion line set to premiere in six months.

Kiera is the same age as me, about six inches shorter and quite athletic. Whereas I myself am pretty much an average guy, maybe a bit tall, maybe a bit broad shouldered, and maybe my shaggy brown hair was a bit sloppy at times, but still I feel I'm pretty average. Kiera on the other hand is quite opposite, she has always had an eye for fashion and she has this weird fixation on styling her hair into different shades and variations all the time

I had met Kiera when I was 16, off on a journey with my other best friend Sam. There had been a horrible forest fire near Eterna Forest and we had found her passed out from the smoke. I had recognized her from…another event…

The world we live in…is not perfect. For as many wonderful and splendid things there are, there are as many horrendous sides. One of these horrendous sides being some of the people, particularly the extremist group known as Team Magma.

It was when Kiera was working for them that I met her. Don't get me wrong, when I discovered her passed out she had since left the group and was travelling on her own for self-discovery or something like that. All I remember is carrying her out of the burning woods and finding shelter.

Since then we've all been traveling together and have become as close as close friends could be. It wasn't actually until a couple of years ago when Kiera and I actually started going out.

She really is a marvelous person, having been offered a position as a gym leader and making a name for herself as a coordinator. She's won almost every major tournament for coordination and defeated the Unova Pokémon League.

However...ever since the end of her last coordination episode, she's been working hard on her fashion line for Trainer Apparel Incorporated. (a popular clothing line geared towards trainers, best known for their lengthy fundraisers and charitable donations towards parks, preserves, and shelters)

Since I defeated the Johto League, its Elite Four, and their Champion Lance, I've gone on to compete in the Kanto Region to which I amounted a top four finish losing out to Sam. As upsetting as losing was, it's part of life, and Sam even went on to defeat their Elite and Champion.

We've since been competing constantly in the Frontier, which is recognized as an unsafe zone even for experienced trainers. The Frontier itself is a vast region located, supposedly, in the middle of the world. Not only is it home to the strongest Pokémon, but also the strongest trainers.

Actually let me clear the Frontier up a bit, at least some of the rumors and what not. First of all, the actual qualifications are a bit different than you think, you can get in one of three ways: first you make three top eight Pokémon league appearances, second you make three top sixteen and get the go-ahead from at least one Frontier Representative, or three you get the green flag from at least four high ranking Frontier representatives. As simple as some sound, none are in any way easy.

Anyway, last month, after I emerged from one of the Frontier halls as Champion, I was offered a job by the league itself. Not only did they want me to design and construct a new project, they also wanted me to scout for up and coming trainers to invite to the Frontier, that's right, as a Frontier Rep. They needed me especially so because of their rapidly developing region. And lucky for me at the time, the added money from the new job gave me enough to begin the reserve I had wanted to make for the last five years, my dreams were becoming reality.

Oh, my name is Mica by the way. I know it looks like it would be Meek-a, but it's pronounced Mike-a. I'm twenty five years old and one of the top five ranking trainers of the world as of now. I was born and raised in Sinnoh just outside of Hearthome. Growing up it was me, my baby brother Raian, my Grandmother, and my Mom. Unfortunately, I didn't really know my dad to well, and Raian pretty much didn't know him at all. He left when I was nine, he went to help construction on what would become the Frontier, and he was killed in an accident. His name is still etched into the pillars that mark the memorial for those workers.

And of course, things never go perfectly in this world. My mother passed away in a car crash while I was away on my journey. My grandmother and my brother are the closest family I have left. Aside from them I have an uncle and a cousin, but they're always moving so I can't say I ever got to really know them well. I can't really say my brother didn't because, he's actually just begun a journey with our cousin and one of his friends.

As I carried on my train of thoughts going a hundred thoughts a minute, I reached the studio Kiera had set up on the other side of the lodge. As I stepped foot inside the room filled with fabric and drawings all over the walls.

"Wow, you made it a whopping hour and a half." I heard the familiar voice from behind a mountain of cloth near the far side of the room.

"You know me" I replied with a hint of sarcasm, "I really can't sit still for very long, even if it is writing about myself."

I chuckled a bit at the end of my sentence. I was asked to start writing a book about my travels and the things I've seen and learned since leaving my home about ten years ago and how I came to where I am today. I'm not going to lie, I've been more than a little hesitant about writing.

"I did finish the first couple of chapters though," I added, "I got the basic stuff down at least."

"Wow, busy busy beedril, huh?" Kiera asked sarcastically, "Seriously Mica, you need to organize your thoughts and get some work done. They might just give up on you if you don't speed it up, they might even hire someone else."

"Hire someone else to write my story?" I asked a bit skeptical, "Who knows my life well enough to write about it."

As I said this, she turned to me and dropped her head looking up at me with one of the most obvious looks I've seen. If expressions could talk, she was calling me a moron.

"…besides you…" I quickly corrected myself, "Whatever, how's the line coming along?"

"…as much as I want to make fun of your writers block, I'm kind of suffering the same thing," Kiera responded as she put down a piece of black fabric, "I know what I want to do, but it just doesn't seem to be coming alive right now."

"I'll tell you what" I said as I slowly placed my hands on her shoulders, giving a slow caring massage, "Why don't you take a break, go take a shower while I feed the Gible, then we can go out to town for a bit."

It took her a moment, but Kiera finally looked up at me with those large deerling-like eyes and let out a small smile.

"I knew there was a reason I keep you around." Kiera joked before giving me a small peck on the cheek with her amazingly soft lips which seemed so wonderful compared to the dirt and rock I'm used to having hit my face.

After appreciating Kiera for a moment, I went back towards the kitchen to let her finish up what she needed to. As I walked, I passed Fey again who was watching some ridiculous show about Pokémon transforming into weapons for their trainers to use.

I made no effort to rush myself as I casually walked into the large walk in fridge and began pulling out large slabs of raw meat and throwing them out. The sound of the meat hitting the kitchen floor seemed to call Fey, because within seconds I heard the familiar pitter-patter followed by the lovely creature brushing against my leg.

"No, we've had this discussion way too many times girl. This is for the guys out back. You ate not two hours ago." I said sternly looking down at the Espeon, but of course those big, puffy, sad, purple eyes dragged me in again….Damn it

I let out a sigh as I slipped a cut towards her to watch her snatch it up and trot for her corner where she would devour it.

This allowed me a moment to properly prep the meat. First was cutting the meat up so the Gible wouldn't choke. Second was pouring vitamins onto and in the meat. And last was loading the meat up into a large basket sitting on the back porch.

"A little help, if you please." I said with a bow as Fey trotted towards me. As I lifted the basket I could feel it lighten intensely, fey being the doll she is and helping with her psychic ability. The affects of this psychic lasted a decent while so that I could properly strap the basket into the small gas powered cart next to the cabin.

After firing up the ole Feraligator brand cart, I took off to the feeding grounds. It didn't take me way too long to dump half the meat into a large open plate meant to hold the Gible food. After that I spread the rest of the meat around all about to give the buggers something to do. Part of the reason I love throwing chunks onto the sand is because Gible love to travel underground…so it isn't uncommon to just randomly see a steak go under and disappear.

Behind me on the plate I could see the small creatures waddling back and forth as if in some kind of happy dance and I immediately took out my camera for a snap shot. I've had a habit of taking pictures of the Gible since we opened the place, they always seem to make me laugh and you never quite know what they're going to do.

I finished distributing the meat and headed back to the cabin. Sure enough waiting on the front porch is the alluring image of Kiera standing aside my backpack for the trip to town.

Coming with us Fey?" I asked as I grabbed the bag and threw it over my shoulder, the sound of pokeballs clanking inside quite audible.

"...esp..." The little creature sneezed in a meek tone as she shook her head as if to respond quite clearly

"Alright, well we should be back soon enough, watch the gible, and…keep an eye on Bri, she's been under the weather." I called out as I began walking, Bri of course being Kiera's garchomp, which had recently laid some eggs and was a bit under the weather.

It's just little things like that which remind me of how spectacular Pokémon are. I mean, what is a Pokémon? It's pretty simple, it's a creature that lays eggs and has an internal energy it can manipulate into 'attacks'. As simple as that is, they have such capacities for love and strength that it truly astonishes me.

Despite how spectacular Pokémon are, they have some complexities. First of all, Pokémon are all divided into types ranging from grass to dragon and everything between. Furthermore they're subdivided into one of three groups: Domestic, Unferal, and Feral. Domestic being Pokémon that have absolutely no problem with humans and in fact like them. Unferal being Pokémon which for the most part don't mind humans, but prefer to stick to themselves. And Feral being…well…the ones that don't view humans, and for the most part other Pokémon, as friends.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" Kiera asked, breaking my train of thought.

"Yeah" I replied simply as I looked around. The reserve we were leaving was north of the Resort area and north of the Main Sinnoh Region. Basically an isolated part of the country that tended to be hot and humid as opposed to the standard cold. But something about today was nice, the wind made with the salty sea air for an overall completely calming feel.

"Didn't you used to visit this part of the land?" Kiera asked just as simple as possible, as though she hadn't even given a remote thought to it

"Well…no. My family lived too far inland to really travel this far. The only one who might have was my dad, if it was a large construction project, he probably had to visit." I replied, the thought of my dad crossing my mind.

I just knew so little about him, that it saddened me greatly. My mother always said he was a good man, and I really do believe her. Everyone wants to be a lawyer, or a professional athlete, or something outlandish, but he knew what was needed and did it with a smile as a construction worker.

As I carried on in thought I couldn't help but think of my Fathers watch and my mother's locket. They were the only mementos I have of them really. My Mother had given me the locket the day I left for my journey, and she said that it was important to her, that's really all I know of it.

"SoOoO…how is your brother fairing so far?" Kiera asked noting I was in deep thought and trying to pull me back to the planet.

"Well…last I heard from him, his friend had gotten his hand bitten off by a Sandile." I replied thinking for a moment

"Is he okay at least?" Kiera asked with a stunned and utterly confused face, not a clue what to say

"Oh his friend is fine and they got away safe enough." I replied quickly trying to keep her from worrying over nothing, "I warned him to be careful. Young trainers forget way too often how dangerous Pokémon can be, I mean, even experienced trainers have problems. Remember when Sam got his toe bitten off by an Axew?"

"Yeah, I remember." Kiera replied with a little giggle, her laugh just so ridiculously cute for such a grown woman that it practically forced a smile on my face, "Sometimes you forget how dangerous some things are, but it's what makes it an adventure!"

She was right of course, as many terrifying moments as there were when we were traveling, I don't think I'd trade a single second of it for anything.

After some walking we made it to a small hill which overlooked the rolling hills of houses and a small town. The town of this area is actually a rather wealthy area. Only a select few actually can afford to live up in these parts, and even then, most just use it as a summer getaway.

Oh but don't get me wrong, there are locals. There's an old man that owns a shop in there that's lived here all his life, as well as many generations of his family. Well…at least that's what he tells me.

Continuing down the road I was abruptly surprised to get a call on my Pokenav, an old equipment mod that I really should have updated some time ago. But I just never really could get myself to replace it, I've just had it ever since I started being a trainer.

"Hey Mica! How's the weather?" the voice on the other line called out as I answered

"Hey Sam!" I replied with a smirk hearing my friends voice, "Yeah…Yeah, it's good…We're enjoying it, what about Unova?...And Business?...We sign this Saturday?! Amazing! Join Avenue is going to be a hit, I swear! What about investors?...Really?..."

I continued to listen in amazement at the news. Sam and I, when not investing in some small equipment and item shops, had been looking into building a large mall-like area that could bring all kinds of people together.

The concept for Join Avenue was born one night when we were investigating a theft rumored to be connected to Team Rocket. We had found an area between Castelia and Nimbasa that was just so overrun with crime that we wanted to make a difference. Join Avenue was the perfect plan to expand the Desert Resort areas into residences and shops. Thus creating work and homes for the people that had lost so much.

I just realized, I haven't really talked about Sam. He's just such a familiar face that I kind of forgot he isn't known to all. He's the very first guy I battled on my journey. He was a pretty laid back guy yet he was also pretty excitable. About my height, his shaggy blonde hair probably giving him some added height over me. Despite his 'surfer' look, Sam is an extraordinary trainer. He too is ranked in the top ten along with the record for the Unova bridge Challenge when he encompassed the entire region on foot in ten…freaking…days.

And of course when talking about Sam, I need to make some reference to Pidgeot. I met Sam when Pidgeot was still Pidgeotto, and it was without a doubt the fastest Pokémon I've seen.

During Sam's 'off time', we often talk business and go on certain missions involving scouting trainers and…other scenarios.

Anyway, back to what I was talking about. After sorting out a few tidbits with Sam, I hung up and continued on the hike with Kiera. It didn't take much longer before we finally made it to the Resort Diner, which in my opinion had the absolute best Roast Taurus sandwiches I've ever eaten. Manny, the creator of the sandwiches was pretty much the master of sandwiches.

The moment we walked into the Diner I could see good ole Manny right there. Just the sight of him put me in the appetite for one of those sandwiches.

"Hell-o Manny" I exclaimed as I approached the bar

"Mister Mica, a pleasure as always" He replied as he grabbed a glass and wasted no time in filling it with the delectable Miltank milk, "And a Good Morning to you Miss Kiera. I take it the both of you are just here for a little lunch break from all the Ranger Danger escapades?"

"Yeah, we just need a little break, some fresh air, and the like to get the creative stream running again." Kiera replied as Manny began pouring her a cup of her favorite Iced Tea.

"Ah, still working on that book?" He asked turning his eyes to me as he began making the sandwich before my eyes

"A-yup, though it isn't really much of a book at the moment…" I replied with a bit of a sigh as he slid the wonderful sandwich before me, "There's just so much else that I want to be doing that getting in the writing spirit is kind of difficult."

"I suppose I know what you mean." Manny replied with a hearty chuckle, "You youngsters always seem to have your hands filled with one thing or another."

The rest of the chat was typical small talk; weather, life, and all the like were frivolously discussed as we enjoyed the break. And soon enough Kiera and I finished our meal and began to leave.

But of course, with my luck being my luck, as we were leaving I felt an incredibly uneasy feeling. I didn't waste a second to listen to my surroundings. Kiera noticed immediately and raised a finger to her lips to hush everyone around us.

I slowly placed my hand to the floor, and sure enough, there was a growing tremor. I could feel the reverberations very clearly, almost as if an earthquake was approaching. Suddenly, I has greeted with a loud crash coming from outside, a clear cloud of dirt and dust being thrown into the air

"Alright then…" I sighed as I hastily made my way for the door, "Manny! Keep everyone inside!"

As Kiera and I moved forth, I saw her pull forth a tranquillizer gun from her back holster. I nodded my head as I too did the same, also making sure to grab a pokeball from my bag.

As we arrived at the location of the crash we noticed that a large swirling sinkhole had suddenly formed in the center of town. It was about twenty feet across at its longest and about ten feet deep so far. Sure enough, in the middle of the sinkhole, I was able to spot three or four very quickly moving red objects. They had large heads and long teeth.

It was really strange to find those certain creatures this from the desert portion of the land. It was a brigade of a Pokémon known as Trapinch, a bug like creature known for their large jaws and pincher-like teeth. This brigade had seemingly dug to the middle of town looking to catch some food. I was glad I grabbed my pokeball, because the tranq wasn't exactly going to be much help.

"Alright buddy, I need you to round up the Trapinch!" I called out throwing my pokeball down, unleashing a stout dark creature with a great tooth filled smile, my long time friend, Gengar.

After Gengar gave a chuckle to symbol his approval before beginning to do his thing. A dark purple glow began illuminating around his eyes and arms, which seemed to also appear around the trapinch. The little snapping creatures began floating out of the hole and into the air.

There were about seven of the snapping little critters that had made this mess. I gave Gengar a small pat on the head and began towards the hovering Pokémon. I could tell from the amount of wear on the creature's shell that they had been traveling a bit, they were likely from further up north.

I made a call into the nearest ranger office to report what had happened and to get someone down. The next little bit was a blur of helping tag the Pokémon before sending them off further up north

I really do wish that I could say nothing else happened that day…but that would be a lie. What happened next was even more unexpected to me than the trapinch. After getting back to the cabin, everything said and done, I had gone into the kitchen to put a few supplies we had purchased away, Kiera in the living room watching television with Fey…when suddenly…

"Mica! Come here!" I heard Kiera's panicked voice call out, the tone that I feared hearing because it always meant something terrible.

I ran into the room to see a very distinct image on the news. A crater from a sky view, metallic rubble and splintered wood all about it along with what looked to be a turbine.

"Just moments ago an explosion believed to be caused by a planted explosive was set off here in the valley Windworks. Citizens around Floroma Town have been evacuated to Jubilife for their safety from the hazardous area. As of now not much is known about who or why the bomb was set nor why Valley Windworks was targeted…"

"Mica…?" Kiera's voice asked, or at least I believe it's all she said, because I was so blinded with a surge of rage that I couldn't even see straight.

I knew exactly who had done this. I've seen their bombs before and I even had an idea why they would target the Windworks. Each region has their problem, from thieves to terrorist, even cults had become problematic in Unova, and Extremist groups are how I met Kiera. But out of all of them, I would never forget team Galactic.

Team Galactic is a Sinnoh centered terrorist filled crime syndicate. Galactic is known for wanting to harness the internal power of Pokémon and use it to bring the world to its knees. Their goal was horrendously simple, a start over. A blank slate for all mankind, with Galactic in control of the Pokémon. And they go about doing it with these terrible attacks.

The first time I came across those goons was when they tried setting off a bomb inside of a volcano. I didn't even realize what I was stopping at the moment, but had that bomb gone off, quite a nasty chunk of Sinnoh wouldn't be here today.

"…Mica…?" Kiera's voice finally broke through my trance

"Kiera, can you watch the reserve for a few days?" I asked abruptly as I turned around, my eyes already set on getting the job done.

"Uhh, yeah, no. I'm coming with you." Kiera retorted shaking her head in disbelief as she grabbed my arm, "There's no damn reason for you to go alone."

"There's no one else that can watch the reserve right now." I replied gently pulling her hand off of me, "I can handle this, I promise."

Kiera stood with her arms crossed for a moment. She looked halfway between yelling and crying, I didn't have a clue what to do for a few seconds.

"I know…it's dangerous. But it's my job to take care of these kind of situations." I managed to say as I gently placed my hands on her shoulders, "I'm a Pokémon Ranger for a reason."

"…take the big guys with you…please don't get yourself hurt" I heard her say as she lightly grabbed the locket around her neck, the memory of her fallen comrade at the hands of galactic filling her head. Thankfully she knows me well and she knew that I had my mind set.

"Time for a trip Fey." I said as I turned around, my mission set, myself ready to go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Frontier Stories: Episode 2**

After a painfully long flight we descended onto the Valley Windworks area after taking a clear look from the sky. I recalled Supa (Soo-pah), my resident flying Shiny Golurk, and headed towards what looked like the main investigation tent. Two suited goons stopping me at the front of it.

"You're going to have to vacate the premises sir. This is a government investigation that you're trespassing on." One of the goons spoke. I gave the man a look as I reached into my coat pocket and removed the badge that I was given for these kinds of situations. The man on the left didn't even blink at it, but the other quickly realized what he was looking at and moved out of the way. "He's clear Joe. Let him go."

"Yeah Joe." I stated firmly as the man moved out of my way so that I could enter the tent, "…if that IS your real name…"

I entered the tent and found a well-lit table that had a few more investigators in black surrounding it as well as a tall woman in a pantsuit.

"Ms. Helen. I'm surprised to see you here," I said as I walked towards the table. Helen's corporation, Iron Tail, was the leading security agency in Sinnoh that was in charge of such things as the Pokémon League

"I believe I should be saying that, I was not aware a Ranger was needed here…Oh but if we happen upon any crazed or endangered Pokémon, I'll be sure to let you know." She retorted coldly and sarcastically. Did I mention we don't exactly get along?

"Now Helen…" I began as she shot me an all too familiar dagger filled stare, "You know very well the Rangers have allowed me to investigate on their behalf in these situations, and it just happens I've dealt with explosions like this before. It's my job as a Spec Op Ranger that I be here to relay exactly what happened here and…

"I know the law Mica. You don't need to quote it to me. Get out of my tent and do your job then." She responded angrily. I took a little bow and exited the tent and into the sunny day.

"Well that went well," I said rolling my eyes to Fey who had been walking next to me the entire time. She gave a little sneeze in response and I gave her a smile before we began walking towards the wreckage that used to be the Valley Windworks.

The smell of burnt runner and rubble immediately hit me like a brick wall. I shook my head a bit and entered the former building and started to have a look around. The entire building had been leveled. Around me were the remains of staircases, desks, and all sorts of metal from the frame of the structure.

"See if you can sniff anything out Fey." I called out to which she left my side and immediately took a right over what used to be granite wall. I kept to where I was and started moving around pieces of rock from the front desk. Sure enough, I found the remains of a computer.

So much for that idea. I continued around what used to be a major hallway that connected most of the office space and technical rooms in the plant. The bomb must have been really intense. There was really not much to go here. I found Fey picking through a pile not to far from where I was. I came up behind her when I noticed she was pawing at a metal plate in the floor.

"What are you clawing at?" I asked moving in a little closer to inspect the plate. This being the moment I noticed that in the middle of it was a lever made into the front of the plate. As if it was actually a door!

I threw my hand into the mark and pulled. Sure enough it disconnected into the shape of a handle. I pulled hard on the lever and was able to open it enough to squeeze inside.

"Fey! Hold the door." I jumped down and removed a flashlight from my pack clicking it. There didn't seem to be any problems with this underground passage way. It seemed to lead further towards the mountains.

I walked down the hallways for a bit until I came to a pile of uniforms sitting on the side of the path. I knelt down and had a good look at them. They were marked Valley Windworks. The uniforms didn't have any names on them but they led me to believe that something really wasn't right here. The passage must have been how the culprits got into and out of the building between the explosions. Which led me to think… what was at the end of this hallway? I doubled back to the entrance where Fey was still holding the door open and jumped back up.

"Let's go ruffle some feathers shall we?" I said with a brow raise as I started to make my way back towards what used to be the entrance to the building, now the tent that Helen and her agents were holed up in.

I strolled past the two suits at the front of the tent and went in towards the long table again. Only Helen and a couple of her grunts were left. She was sitting in a chair and had her head in her hands as a steaming cup of what I assumed was coffee boiled in front of her.

"Do you have a sec?" I asked as I approached the table.

"What do you want now Mica? Every time I see you more and more sh!t goes down. So tell, what do you want from me?" she asked quite exasperated as she looked up from her hands and grabbed the mug in front of her.

"First of all!" I began irate before catching myself, "…. I'm sorry if you feel I cause you so much of a headache. If it seems we tend to bump into each other in these situations it's only because it's my job to respond to them. As is yours…. Second, I require blueprints of the building. And since I'm such a nice guy, I'll even let you in on the lead Fey and I found in the building."

"Alright. I'll bite." She said with a sigh, her lust for information working to my advantage as she flipped through a few pieces of paper on her table until she got to a rolled up, large white sheet. She slid it to the edge of the table nearest me. I stepped up to the table and unrolled the blueprints to the Valley Windworks, and sure enough, there they were. The original concept for the building was to build a tunnel that went through the mountain and into Route 206 where it would be easy to access both Eterna and Oreburgh City.

"So what is your lead?" she asked as I finished examining the blueprints, to which my response was pointing to the blueprints at where the tunnel was and started.

"I found a passage under the floor that had been cleared up by the explosion. When I went down to investigate, I had found Valley Windworks Uniforms inside that had been left behind. The uniforms seemed like they had been ditched hurriedly. My thoughts are that the culprits dug into this passageway and then snuck into the building this way. But that's not all. The doorway can only be opened from inside the building. So that leads me to believe that it was an inside job. Someone had to have made the time to go to the door, peel back the tile, and then let the people inside. I think everything was preplanned and the attackers had been in the building since at least the night before. The only time they would have had was at night when the main building is closed. "

"That's a very…uhh… interesting theory you have there Mica...uggh fine, I want you to follow the tunnel and see where it leads. The tunnel project was shut down not long after they started, so the terrorists would have had to dig their way in. See where the end of the tunnel is and keep us in touch. I'm still running crowd control here. There's a lot of work we still have to do. This may be a good lead."

"Wow, was that a compliment I heard?" I asked shockingly.

"Don't let it get to your fat head." She retorted as she took another drink from her mug and dismissed me with a wave of her hand. I picked my bag off the table and turned around to exit the tent.

When I reached the outside, the two suits were still standing there and the clouds above us were beginning to turn black.

"Huh, I thought they said the rains were going to be over Veilstone." I pondered to myself as I heard the sounds of distant thunder coming this way. I continued walking towards the building again with Fey still at my heels.

"Alright Fey, I know you don't care too much for dark spots, but we need to investigate the tunnel here." I said as I began lifting the lid to the secret door. She gave me a small nudge with her wet nose and I knew she was in.

I opened the door and waited for Fey to jump down so I could follow after her. I propped the door open with a rod so I could find my way back up if I needed to. The light from outside shone in a little bit, but not enough to illuminate it. I dropped down to the floor and removed the flashlight from my pack again and clicked it on.

We began walking down the hallway with Fey walking close behind me. We had been walking for only a few moments when I heard a very loud BANG as well as the sliding sound of a bolt. The door had been shut behind us and someone had slid the lever back into place too.

"Fey, stay close. Looks like we can only go forward from here."

I pointed the flashlight towards the end of the hallway and continued to walk. We eventually got to the point where the uniforms had been abandoned. I took another look over them to see if I could find anything else. I was able to find a couple of flares in one of the pockets of the jumpsuits. I put the flares into my jacket pocket and pressed on. The tunnel came to a stop not too far from where the uniforms were found. The end of the tunnel was a dirt wall with caution tape and barriers in front of it to warn people away from it. I flicked the flashlight along the wall, and when I looked to just the left of it I noticed the hole in the wall about two feet high and three feet wide. It looked as if this was the way they got in and out of the tunnel.

"It has been a while since we did some spelunking. I'll go first Fey. Bring up the rear and be careful." But before I could start crawling into the hole, Fey had already brushed past me to take up the front position. 'As you wish.' I thought to myself as I pulled my backpack tight on the straps and began to crawl through the dirt hole.

The space was really tight with my pack. I ended up having to crawl on my stomach through the small passage as we traveled to the end. After a very claustrophobic experience, we came to a small opening in the middle of the wall. I crawled through and found myself in an underground room of sorts. I picked out one of the flares and brought it to life. The room wasn't very big, about twelve feet high and ten across. But there were a lot of smaller holes around us that led to all sorts of passages. We were in a cave system now located deep in the mountain.

"Well Fey? What can you sense?" I asked watching Fey sit on her hind legs and became very still for a moment. I had seen her do this many times, her Future Sight was very good. She can pick up on even the smallest trails when it came to stuff like this. That's one of the very many reasons I keep her close to me on investigations.

She opened her eyes and started towards one of the passages on the far side. I followed close behind her and when we got to the small entrance of another tunnel I put the flare out and put it back in my pack… No use leaving trash in a place like this…

The path was really tight, tight enough that even Fey had to get down a few times. It came out into a big enough walkway that I could crouch easily in. looking down at my clothes I noticed just how muddy and dirty they were…Just another day at the office. We followed the path a little further and I noticed that the ground was getting a lot wetter. I shined my flashlight ahead and noticed that we were heading into the water.

"Are you sure they went this way?" I asked Fey. She looked up at me and gave a slight nod. "Alright. On your lead then."

After a few steps the mud became water and I was soon up to my knees in frigidly cold water. Fey was busy swimming in front of me down the tunnel. Soon, I was up to my waist in water and Fey was beginning to have trouble staying afloat. I caught up to her and put her on top of my backpack where she could lean on my back and neck.

"Just point the way girl and I'll get us there." I told my little buddy. She gave me a lick and nudged my neck forward.

The water very quickly came up to the middle of my chest. The tunnel seemed to be just one long stream. It took some time but eventually I started to feel the water receding as I reached a slight slope that indicated we were now going up. I could hear the screech of many Zubat up ahead and knew we were close to finding our way out. After what seemed like forever, the trip through the icy waters ended as we came out into a large open cave.

My flashlight illuminated all of the wet rocks around us and I could hear the Zubat overhead fluttering about. It must have still been daytime since they usually head outside around dusk. Fey jumped down and started to lead the way again as we followed the narrow path towards the exit. Sure enough, the fresh air hit hard as we emerged from the cave and into the outside.

We were surrounded by trees… It would be incredibly difficult to find this place without a map. I took out my Pok'enav and marked the cave location. According to the GPS we weren't too far off Route 206 and Cycling Road. The passage had come out exactly where we thought.

Fey and I descended the mountain and came to the entrance of Cycling Road. When I got to the small Cycling Shop the owner was just locking up his shop for the night as the last few cyclers got on the bridge to head to Eterna instead of having to take the long way through Route 206.

"Excuse me sir!" I yelled out running towards him.

"Wow, was it raining earlier? Because you're the second group I've seen soaking wet coming from that mountain." He said unbelievably nonchalantly as I ran up to him.

"There were others!? Please, you have to tell me where they went and what they looked like!" I yelled catching the poor guy quite offgaurd. The culprits must have gotten out of there not to long ago if he had seen them today.

"Well, they were an oddly dressed bunch all of them wearing white and black jumpsuits. They came in and asked for bike rentals." He responded , " They quickly dried off and the last I saw of them they were heading up towards Eterna City."

"Thank you! You've been a great help!" I exclaimed as I started to sprint up Cycling Road.

"Hey! You can't go in there without a bike!" He called out as I ran

"It's an emergency, sorry!" I yelled behind me as a Fey ran beside me. We were close. I could feel it. Eterna was not far by Cycling Road. I could be there in no time.

It was nightfall by the time we arrived in Eterna. The Cycling Road Bridge had cut off about an hour's worth of traveling time. We came through the other side's bike rental and I looked for the owner to question them. I found the lady running the night shift and quickly asked about the group of people in the jumpsuits. She said they had come this way and delivered their bikes and left. Other than that she had no idea where they could have gone.

As aggravating as it was, I was exhausted as hell. And I knew whoever I was chasing would be just as exhausted and probably holed up somewhere in the city, giving me an idea…

I thanked her and walked towards one of the hotels located in the city to grab a bite to eat and to rest.. I knew the jumpsuit they were describing. It was the uniform commonly used by members of Team Galactic. I checked into one of the rooms at a nearby hotel in the heart of the city and went to my room. Once there I laid out my extra clothes and Pok'eballs. Luckily my backpack had kept my extra clothes dry and all of my other supplies were safe as well. I went ahead and ordered a couple of burgers and a salad from the kitchens and took a shower while waiting for the food. After it arrived I put one of the burgers and some fries on the night stand next to me. I took one of the Pok'eballs and called forth Gengar, my very good friend.

"How are you sir?" I asked as Gengar stretched. "I have a task for you."

Gengar turned around and gave his toothy grin that he gives when he gets excited.

"Some Team Galactic members are hiding out in the city. We need to find them. So I need you to go out and have a look around and see what you can find. In return, I ordered your favorite."

At that I lifted the plate in front of me for Gengar to see. Gengar gave a good laugh and licked up all of the food in one go. He chewed excitedly and belched hard as he signaled his satisfaction with the meal.

Gengar gave me the ok signal and took off through the open window, making himself invisible as he left. I closed the window behind him and went back to my bed and took the other burger off the nightstand and took a big bite out of it. I was starved.

After chowing down, I relayed the cave info to Helen, the agency director, and Sam, who had a really big thing for caves. Fey was already falling asleep on the bed next to me and I was getting really sleepy as well.

I called Kiera to keep her up to date about what was going on. She told me that she remembered Team Galactic used to own a warehouse on the outskirts of town. So that may be a good place to look. I asked about the reserve and everything was going smoothly, as well as the finishing work for her line of clothing. We talked for a little while longer and finally said goodnight. I put the Pok'enav on the nightstand and closed my eyes.

I'm not sure how long I was out, but I was awaken to a sudden crash in the room. I sprung up and looked around to spot Gengar lying dazed in the middle of the room. I ran over to him to see what may be the matter. It looked as if he had been hit pretty hard with a confuse ray. I reached into my bag and pulled out a persim berry I had found in the forest that was good for confusion states.

Gengar ate the berry and almost instantly came out of the confusion. He looked around the room and got up, quickly moving out towards the map I had left on the table and pointed towards the warehouse district on the outskirts of town…Looks like Kiera was right again.

"Good job buddy, go ahead and take a rest." I told Gengar as he gave me an exhausted salute and returned to his Pokeball. I quickly dressed and moved forth quickly with Fey into the night air as we rushed for the warehouse district. We didn't have any time to waste. They had attacked Gengar and that meant that they knew someone might be coming for them. I had to move fast and couldn't wait for the others to come in.

Fey and I arrived at the warehouse district without a moment to spare. It wasn't long before we heard shouting and people barking orders around us. Seemed like they were in a hurry to get their stuff packed and leave. I watched from one of the crates and observed as a woman with short red hair was yelling for a bunch of grunts to hurry up and get the cargo from the warehouse onto some trucks.

I took out a small pair of binoculars and looked again. There was no mistaking the woman, which was Commander Mars. She was in charge of most of the Eastern jobs that Galactic was in on. I had met her once before, but the bomb wasn't her style. BuUut she was a wanted criminal of the Team…Sooo…. I had to stop her from getting away. I looked at the cargo and noticed the biohazard signs all over them…Everything pointed to this being the source.

"Fey, get towards the truck and disable it. I'm going to take Supa and stop them from finishing that truckload." I quietly commanded

Fey nodded and ran off into the dark night as she headed towards the truck. I took out the ball and called out Supa. The large Golurk burst forth and flew towards the crew carrying the cargo and landed hard on his feet in the middle of the group.

"Get the truck started!" Commander Mars shouted as Supa started to round up the Team Galactic members into the warehouse. When Mars got to the truck and tried to start it up, all she heard was a creak. And suddenly the engine flew through the hood of the car and into the air as Fey ripped it out using her Psychic attack.

"Going somewhere Mars?" I asked as I walked towards the truck.

"I should have known these idiots had the Rangers on their trail." She jumped out of the truck and pulled out two Pokeballs from her back. "I'm not going anywhere without a fight! Mightyena! Weavile! Get this moron!" she yelled as her Pokémon were released and sprinted towards me.

I smiled as Supa came down hard with a hand on each of the flailing Pokémon as he pinned them to the ground.

"I really don't feel like hurting Pokémon Mars. But seeing as you don't want to give up without a fight, how about I offer you the option anyways?" I asked with a smile looking down the alley at Mars who was now standing straight up in front of her crew. She had a fierce scowl on her face, but she knew she had lost this round.

An hour later, the officials had shown up with Helen. Mars and the rest of the Galactic squad were stuffed in the back of the truck trailer as I waited for them to show up and officially arrest the men here. Supa was back near the rear of the truck guarding the only exit and entrance, while Fey and I sat back near the cargo and watched carefully for any more signs of trouble.

"That was pretty stupid of you." Helen said walking up to me. "You should've waited for back up instead of venturing out on your own to chase them down like some vigilante."

"If I hadn't shown up when I did, Mars and her crew would have gotten away and we'd still be trying to chase them down!... That is if we could find them! Team Galactic is unbelievably resourceful and I didn't have time to wait for back up that wouldn't have arrived for another two hours. Besides, look around you. There is no telling what Team Galactic wanted with all of these chemicals." I stated as I motioned toward the cargo that was stacked in heaps around me and at the warehouse as well.

Helen gave a quick look in the direction of the warehouse and gave a nod. She then turned around and walked back towards the rest of the officials arresting Team Galactic and Commander Mars. My job here was done, there was not enough proof to pin the explosion on Mars, but there was definitely no denying that Team Galactic had been the ones behind the attack. We may have not captured the one responsible, but I was at least able to bring a part of their syndicate to justice. And that was nothing to guff at.

I walked away from the warehouse district and back to the hotel I was staying at where I would be able to rest and then take the next plane back to the refuge in the resort area. I was terribly exhausted, but there was something itching at the back of my mind. Those chemicals. Team Galactic wasn't exactly known for their bio weapons. They were more technology based. Eterna was a big city and very big on trading traffic. That cargo must have been sent here from somewhere. There was no telling who was supplying them with biohazard materials. But I didn't have a good feeling; something just didn't fit right…


	3. Chapter 3

A helicopter was sent for me and Kiera. The ride was rather quick and smooth, in no time we arrived in Castelia city. Lucky for me I was able to get a ranger to watch the preserve while Kiera and I traveled to Castelia. This was going to be a very big week; not only did we need to go premiere Kiera's new line, but Sam and I also had to meet with the people that were going to be overlooking the construction of Join Avenue.

As we landed on the top of a skyscraper a tenant frantically opened the door to greet us. As the tenant babbled some odd greeting I admired the view, rather stunning actually. Fey and I quickly leapt out, happy for the opportunity to stretch our legs. I watched as Kiera ran to the roof access door, greeted by a familiar woman. The woman was Marlene, a major fashion designer and the owner of the company funding Kiera's project. It was easy to see that she was a very busy woman.

Our flight had been a rather long one, we had to take several stops along the way in order to connect with different pilots. A couple within the Frontier, one outside of the Pokémon League headquarters located in Sinnoh, and the last one just outside of Anvil Town. Fey and I never liked long trips, and the cramps were killing me. Kiera always seemed to prefer flying, seeing that the alternative was either the train or walking. I was more of a hike it guy, but I always had a special spot for the train. Fey and I finished our post flight stretch and we walked over to where Marlene and Kiera were having their talk.

"Ah! Monsieur Mica! It es a pleasure to ze you agin!" Marlene said in her thick accent. I'm not quite sure why, but her accent always bugged me. Obviously, Marlene was from the Kalos Region. I had been there once before with Sam to visit his folks, but other than that I knew very little about the place. Honestly, I'd really like a chance to go explore the region.

"It's great to see you too Marlene," I replied kindly as she and I exchanged a brief hug.

"Did ze two of you enjoy ze flight? I heard its was a long one." She said in her accent, the odd tone ringing in my ear again.

"The flight was fine," Kiera responded before I could, while giving me a look from the corner of her eye. What did I do this time? Now that I think about it, Marlene had paid for us to come out here, so I could see where she didn't want me to come off as rude.

"It was perfect. Though I would have preferred a different in-flight movie." I said afterwards, quickly trying to keep the conversation going.

"In-flight movie? I was not aware ze heli had moveez?" Marlene responded. Goodness did that awful accent bug me.

"Forgive my friend Marlene," Kiera quickly retorted as she shot quite a glance at me "He's just making a bad joke."

Marlene giggled as Kiera tried to set me ablaze with her eyes. The two then headed for the stairs arm in arm. I watched them go for a moment and started after them as well with Fey on my heels. I could already tell this day wasn't going to be very pleasant. We ended up on the elevator and descended the thirty story building to the ground floor where the hallway led us to the garage and a large stretch limo waiting for us. We climbed inside and I took a seat across from Marlene and Kiera as they continued to have their girl talk.

It was odd being left out, but I didn't really mind. It bugged me being in Castelia and not being able to really go do anything I wanted, but oh well. I chuckled to myself as I reached into the cooler next to me and pulled out a soda, not wasting time to pop it open. I was halfway into my second soda when we had pulled up to a large purple and pink building. Oh my lord, do not think I just mean purple and pink, I mean PURPLE and PINK. This building was practically shouting at me, I'm amazed there wasn't a rainbow behind it.

I got out of the limo and leaned back on the side of it to just stare at the building for a little while. I can't honestly explain the thoughts running through my head as I stared. It looked quite absurd to be honest. A little too flashy for my taste… okay…VERY flashy. What the hell were they thinking? Whose idea was it? WHO?! I have not once seen a building and thought "Hey, know what would make this better? PURPLE AND PINK!" Even my little brother would hate this damn thing. It's a monstrosity. Maybe a Garbodor would like it, but any other breathing creature would want this thing burned to the ground….I mean…It wasn't that bad.

Marlene and Kiera went ahead as I said my goodbyes. Thank Arceus I could leave that awful place. It was almost time for my meeting and I wanted to get there early with Sam so that we could review the plans we had for Join Avenue with the contractors. I let Fey go ahead and stay with Kiera, I knew she had been wanting to keep an eye on things for me just in case. Especially since Kiera had forgotten her bag with her Pokémon in them at our lodge on the reserve. I decided to foot it, handing the limo driver a sizable tip for the ride around the block. I much preferred walking, I had already been stuck in the helicopter, and that was enough for the day. I also rather liked being able to look around, I hadn't been able to explore the city as well as I should have the first time I came here when I was 17. I knew this wasn't the time to really explore, but the contractors building wasn't to far. Plus, it had been awhile since I met with my pal Burgh.

Burgh was a good guy, one of the coolest gym leaders I've met for sure. But, he's a tad…flamboyant…maybe he would like the purple and pink building….ugh…awful idea. But Burgh is cool, way too cool for that building. Despite beating him pretty good on our first gym battle, he's proven to me a few times that he can more than hold his own in battle. But more so, I really have to thank him, if it wasn't for him I never would have made it to the frontier. He's the one that recommended me.

The street air was alive with different sights, sounds, and smells. The air smelled rich of hotdogs from the stand across the street and I became instantly starving. I grabbed a couple of Castelia dogs and continued my walk. I don't know what they put in them, nor do I probably want to know, but those things are AMAZING. As I started on my last dog I rounded a corner and looked up at the tallest building in the city. Sitting at 75 stories, the Castelia Tower was the largest building in Unova. I walked inside with my half eaten hotdog still in hand, and was immediately stopped by the security upon entering the front doors.

"Sir, this is a private business building. Unless you have business here I'm going to have to ask you to leave," one of the security guards said to me as he held up a large open hand. What is with big guys always asking me to stop from entering places these days I wondered? I held my hand up signaling for him to wait as I finished my hot dog…why should I wait? I was hungry. The guard seemed to get annoyed as I purposely drew out each bite, enjoying every last amazing piece. As I finished, the guard began to move, so I held my hand up again stopping him. I reached into my front pocket and pulled out the ID the company had sent me in the mail in order to get through security. I handed the card to the security officer and he took a close look at it before waving me through the metal detector.

"It was good, you should get one" I said as I removed my Poke balls from my belt as well anything else that had metal in it before I stepped through the metal detector. No signs coming through. I collected my things and started towards the elevators.

The offices were on the 60th floor, so I had a little ways to go up on the elevator. I entered the elevator and pressed the button for my floor and began to wait for it to stop. Uggh, more waiting…I'm getting rather annoyed with waiting today. I took out my Pokenav and sent an email to Sam saying that I was on my way up to the office floor. He sent one back immediately saying that he was already there and would see me when I got up there. I then pulled up Angry Pidgeys on my pokenav and played as the elevator ascended. The doors soon opened on the 60th to reveal a long maze of cubicles. I walked through the maze and came to the opposite side of the room where the corporate offices were located. There he was, Sam, surprisingly calm as he sat waiting outside of one of the offices. Typically Sam is more energetic than I am, so it was rarer than a shiny to see him calm. As I walked up to him I pulled a soda out of my pocket to offer…how did that not signal the alarm?...oh well... He gave a smirk and took the soda not wasting time to pop it open, taking a long drink from it before bringing it back down to sit on his lap.

"Hey, jerk, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show?" he said as he got up

"It's good to see you wanker. How did the ground breaking go?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Without a hitch... No thanks to you. We came in, they handed me a shovel, and I stuck it through. And that was it." He laughed as he recounted the events of that day. Sam had always been like that, straight to the point. "I also saw your brother." He said after we exchanged a laugh.

My brother, Raian, was currently traveling with a group of friends on his own adventure. It took him a little longer to start than it did for me, but I can't really blame him. He was actually quite the coordinator, never really the greatest of trainers. But I digress, if Sam saw him on Route 4, which means he was heading towards Nimbasa. This also meant he was making excellent progress.

"That's great! Did you get to talk to him long?" I asked, rather happy to hear Raian was still alive

"No unfortunately, we were both in a bit of a hurry. I almost didn't recognize him to be honest." He chuckled again. "That f^cker grew"

As I began to reply we suddenly heard the door behind us open. I quickly jumped and turned, throwing my fist up ready to use a Brick Break, when I saw a small bald man enter. As I stood frozen…like an idiot..he sighed and motioned for us to follow. Damn…time for work…I didn't even get to see Burgh...

"Arceus that took forever!" Sam exclaimed as we finally stepped outside of the building. Our meeting had taken a little over four hours…wait wait…let me say that again…Took…Over…FOUR…HOURS….get it? FOUR HOURS. They had wanted us to meet with not only the architects to get a base model, but also to start looking at many other different aspects going for the build. This project was apparently a lot bigger than we anticipated. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited and all, but damn…I really didn't think it would involve four hour meetings. I thought there would be more gible farming and building.

"I'm starving," I said as we began walking towards Marlene's studio…the gross building…ugh

"Yeah, me too. What time's it anyway?" he asked in response.

"Almost six. Let's grab Kiera and then head out for dinner," I replied as I looked at my watch. We were down the block from the studio, and since the sun was starting to go down, the weather was nice and cool. I did my best to drag my feet, trying to keep away from the buildings sight for as long as possible…ugh…We rounded the corner that Marlene's studio was on and all of a sudden Sam burst out laughing. And I knew exactly what he was laughing at, because in all of its purple and pink striped glory was the studio building…ugh

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh it up you jerk…because I swear if I have to, I will come in the night with a team of smeargle to purify this place." I said as I tried to shield my eyes from that building…ugh

"Oh my, it's just…that building…it's so painful to look at…I think I rather look at a Pokémon using Flash cannon…What do you have to be on to come up with that design?" Sam asked "…I think I want some"

"Well, maybe…it's...uhh…" I said beginning to think as I looked at the grotesque building…ugh"Maybe they were possessed by the spirit of a rather..."fabulous" Haunter"

"I don't think a million gay Haunters could green flag that idea." Sam replied "Maybe a Munnas dump inspired them"

"…I still think the pile would be better than this" I replied as we walked into the building.

The building was incredibly cold inside. I guess even heat didn't want to touch the damn building. As I shuttered at the thought of the outside I turned my attention to the inside. I expected to see something vaguely resembling a smeargles vomit, but boy was I in for a surprise. It was nothing short of elegant. It was like a geode; the outside was processed mud, but the inside was pure beauty. Everything around us was decorated in a cold black metal and there were large picture frames of models and their Pokémon everywhere. The floor was black and white marble that was so shiny I could swear that I could see myself. The front desk was a hardwood semicircle with a single receptionist behind the desk taking phone calls and quickly typing on her computer. The walls were also a dark brown hardwood that was made to look older to go with the design of the room. Say what you will about the outside…ugh… but the inside was definitely what I would call class. We stood and stared in amazement for a little while longer, not even noticing Kiera and Marlene calling us until they were right next to us.

"BOYS!" Kiera shouted, bringing Sam and I out of our daydreams. I knew what he had been thinking. The cold room had reminded us of another place we had visited a long time ago. The cool air, the quiet setting, and the hard dark surface. It all reminded of us of… I felt a knock on my forehead. "Are you there? It's time to go." Kiera said as she looked up at me. I'm rather surprised she didn't slap me or kick me, maybe I did something right…or maybe she was still trying to be polite in front of Marlene. I came out from a near second trip and smiled.

"Well then let's go get something to eat, we're famished!" I said as we started walking towards the front doors. Sam shot me a smirk, he remembered it too. I could feel the feeling I get when I'm entering adventure mode growing and growing. I think we may have to revisit an old stomping ground.

We piled into the limo and Marlene bid us goodbye as she still had a ton of work to do. I cringed as I caught a glimpse of the gross building walls…ugh...We would be seeing her tomorrow and for most of the week up until the premiere that weekend. We quickly headed down Main Street until we found a place we wanted to eat at. Sam and I were dying for something good to eat…oo...A steak sounds good.

We piled out of the limo, tipped the driver again and watched him drive off. Our hotel wasn't too far away and we could always take the subway to our street. We went into the small steak house and grabbed a booth. I started to scan the menu until I found something I liked. Our dinner was pretty simple, we talked about our days and trips. How the ground breaking ceremony was, how the meeting turned out. The kind of designs that Join Avenue and the fashion line were taking.

It was a nice change of pace to the escapade I had in the mountains last week. Which, by the way, turned out brilliantly with the arrest and conviction of Mars with multiple accounts of terrorism and other criminal acts. I had told Kiera the story already when I had gotten back home. She still thought I was an idiot for going in alone, but she knows I can handle myself in pretty much any situation. Despite how she acts towards me at times, she really does trust me and love me. Sam was excited to hear about the cave systems I had marked for him. During our travels we had explored a lot of caves and it has since become a favorite pastime of ours. There is nothing like finding a great cave. Hell, our first time meeting each other we had been doing exactly that!

We finished our grade-A meal and started to head for the subway. It was a nice night, the kind of night you want to use for hanging with friends or making babies. But we were all more than a little tired from the days events, not to mention I was still pretty sore from all the flying. The train got us to our location fairly quickly, you have to love the bullet trains. We came out into a fairly unbusy street as people were getting into their homes. We checked in and took the elevator up to the top floor where the penthouse had been reserved for us during our stay. Sam immediately jumped on the couch and stretched lazily across it as Fey leapt up next to him and rolled around a couple of times as well. I laughed at the sight, it was really nice to be able to laugh with friends, the reserve tends to not allow much free time.

"You know, we never got to sleep like this back when we traveled all the time," Sam said. "I kind of miss it to be honest. It was a lot of fun being out on the road. Meeting new faces, battling trainers. I think as soon as this stuff with Join Avenue starts getting under way I might go under another talent scout trip. Those are always a blast and they let me go back to the things I did before we got to where we are."

Hate to admit it, but he was right. I missed it too sometimes...alright…a lot of times. That's why whenever I wasn't at the reserve, I enjoyed going to the Frontier. It was as wild as it gets. And with my partners, I felt unbeatable. But when I crawled into the brush and really rolled around, it was a challenge like no other. It made my adventurous side feel a flow it hasn't felt since I had first set out to Petalburg City when I was fifteen years old. The feeling of adventure, it was a tough one to beat. I nodded my head with a smile as Kiera laid her head on my lap, looking up at the ceiling.

"I miss camping. Looking at the stars every night with the grass under your feet. With nothing but your friends and Pokémon around you to get you through those times. And then there were the cities. The wonder at coming to a city or town we had never seen before and immediately jumping to see what we could find… It was so much fun." I looked down at Kiera and smiled. All of us had come through a lot of things to get where we are today. It was amazing how much we had accomplished at our young age, but because we're young we still miss doing all of what we used to do.

We sat and reminisced for a little while longer until Fey let out a long yawn and started to curl up into a ball on the couch to get some sleep.

"I'm with you Fey," Sam said as he got up and headed to one of the rooms on the opposite sides of the suite. "Alright guys, time to hit the hay. I'll see you at breakfast…oh and if you wake me up in the middle of the night…I will kill you all" And at that he closed the door and I heard him leap onto the bed and fall asleep with his loud snores.

Kiera laughed and got up to start moving towards our room as well. I sat down for a bit and pulled my Pokeballs from my belt and put them down on the table in front of the L shaped couch. I followed her in and laid down to get some shut eye. We still had a very busy week to get through…ugh

We awoke early the next morning to the sound of the TV being blasted from the "living room" area of the suite. I groaned as I dragged myself out of bed to see what the ruckus was all about. Sure enough, there was Fey and Gengar watching cartoons. The two had always been good friends, and watching Saturday morning cartoons had always been a favorite pastime. I had nothing better to do, so I decided to sit down and watch with them until the sleeping beauties awoke.

It was nearly an hour before Rip Van Winkle awoke and we could go get breakfast. I decided to let Gengar stay in the suite to watch TV while we left, figured he earned the alone time. Fey came down with us and together we scoped out the breakfast buffet. The omelet bar was packed as ever, but I didn't really feel like eggs this morning. I went to the cold food, grabbed a tray, and started piling on fruit, and a big bowl of Ho-Oh's. Mmmmm, cereal, the breakfast of champions. Fey nabbed us a booth and I tossed her a stem of grapes as we began to chow down. I had finished my fruit and was starting my cereal when Kiera and Sam finally sat down with their eggs and pancakes.

"How was the line?" I asked as I looked up at them from my bowl of cereal. The both of them shot me a dirty look and began to tear into their breakfasts.

"Shut up," Sam said with more than a little bit of salt in his voice from the early wake up. I chuckled and started tackling my cereal while reading the morning newspaper.

This was a rather busy time of year, not only for us, but for everyone. It was tournament season, so many of the regions were either finishing or starting their respective Pokémon League tournaments for any that had completed the gym challenges. I quickly ran over the standings for sports as well as the rankings for the top ten trainers. Still ranked top three baby!

I had been in third for a while now. The number one spot belonged to the Frontier Champion, no one knew who he was, but the League recognized him as the strongest trainer in the world. Behind him was another Frontier Head by the name of Walter Deegan. Deegan has held multiple world titles, as well being one of the only people to have "completed" the Frontier challenge. He now stood at the Frontier HQ as the leader of the Elite Four and the overseer of who was invited to compete in the Frontier World Championship. Sounds like a giant douche right? Actually, he's a really down to earth guy. He's been doing many different charity events and has also given a lot back to his home in Kanto.

I looked at the picture they had of me for the top three spot and frowned, they were stilling using the picture of my mud caked face after the Johto Championships when the rainstorms hit mid match against champion Lance. He was a dragon trainer, and let me tell you, that match was nowhere near a walk in the park. The rain only added to the intensity of our bout, and by the end of it, not only were we both covered in mud, but also half of the arena had been decimated. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. I put the paper down and took a last bite from my cereal before a waitress came and grabbed our dishes. I went back up for one last mug of coffee and then decided it was time for us to get going.

The next few days dragged on just like this. Between overseeing the beginnings of the construction and Kiera making the last touches on her fashion line before it was released the coming weekend, there was not a lot of time to ourselves. But we still found time to have some fun, I had had a few of the Gible flown in and decided to take some pictures during the day off I had. It was always a hoot to take pictures of these guys. At one point we had handed them some mini tools and I managed to grab a few pictures of the little guys pretending to work on some houses in what was soon to be Join Avenue. The Gible were actually gifts from the Pokémon League to a few select people in the city that had been selected to care for them. Gible were also dragon type Pokémon, so getting a dragon from the Pokémon League is a very big deal for trainers.

Then Friday came. The week, although extremely busy, had flown by in almost an instant. I had decided to do a live stream over the Internet for the debut of Kiera's line. The construction for Join Avenue was underway, so our being there was no longer necessary as the workers began their year long project. Sam and I had not always been the best when it came to computers, but we managed to find some good help in the city from people who were. The premiere was going to be at the art museum in downtown, and there were people all over the city talking about the up-coming event. There was talk of news crews and many fashion magazines being there to cover what was going to be unveiled. Marlene was also genuinely excited, she was readily planning the decorations and also getting her models prepared for the big night. In fact, I believe the Unova Gym Leader Elesa was planned to model some of the clothes.

Saturday morning finally came and not only was Kiera up before I was, she was a damn nervous wreck, she was extremely nervous about the premiere. They had put a lot of work into it and Marlene had given all of her support including her own brand name to base it from so that she would have the financial backing for it. There was a lot of pressure. I decided to make some tea, but as I came back I saw a rather shocking sight. Fey was sitting in front of Kiera and looking her in the eyes. I could see that aura around her and knew something was up. Kiera snapped out a couple of seconds later and gave Fey a hug saying that she "really needed that" and thanked her. I didn't know what just happened, but Fey had a way of making people feel better. So I never really questioned what she did or how she did it.

Kiera wiped the tears from her eyes and took the mug. She thanked me, gave me a quick peck on the cheek and swooshed me out of the room so that she could get ready. Fey slinked out with me and we stood in the living room staring at each other for a moment.

"What happened in there?" I asked Fey as she looked up at me. She gave me a swish of her two pronged tail and a sneeze before jumping up on the couch and flicked through the channels.

Like I said, she had her way. Sam was finally up not too long after and he joined us on the couch as well. We had all slept in too late to eat breakfast and it was almost lunch time now. Kiera came out of the room not long after we had started up a movie. She had a large, flat bag over one shoulder and her purse under her arm as well as a large sewing kit in her hand. I quickly ran over to pick up the sewing kit so she could get a better handle on her stuff.

"Ready to go I take it?" I asked Kiera as she threw her purse over her shoulder as well.

"Eeeeyup. Let's get going." She replied taking in a deep breath

I carried the sewing kit out of the building and we walked to where Marlene's limo was waiting. And when I say MARLENE'S LIMO, I mean Marlene's Limo. That's right. This sucker was hot pink with yellow stars covering all of the exterior. Oh my eyes, my eyes! I don't understand her fascination with the color pink. What the actual hell? How can someone be so horrifically infatuated with such a grotesque thing? It's like those rich women that love their snubull. We got into the monstrosity of a car and began our drive to the Art Museum. Marlene and Kiera were talking the entire way in excitement. Sam and I stuck to ourselves on the other side and went over a few notes that we had concerning the following morning…and we may have exchanged a few insults about Marlene's taste….But I digress.

The Museum was packed! The entire front parking lot was littered with trainers and fashion fans alike as people were running around to meet Marlene. For some insane reason she was a pretty big celebrity in Castelia. When we got inside, we still had a few hours before everything would be ready to go, so the only thing Sam and I could do was wait, or we could do the logical thing and scope out the strip.

Sam and I slipped out the back door and closed it tight. We headed for the strip and took a turn towards the shopping district. There were hundreds of different shops here, but what we were looking for was an equipment shop. Just something to take our minds off of the days busy events. We found what we were looking for in a Pokémon Trainers equipment store and entered. I went to the back wall of the empty store and started to look at the backpacks and other hiking gear they had. You could never be too careful, especially when you were traveling through the Frontier. I decided on a set of new boots and bought some more tranquilizer rounds for the handgun I kept on my side during my travels. Sam settled on a new tent and some medical supplies as well as more than a few rations for a long trip. Seemed we were both thinking the same things. We paid the old man at the front counter and quickly left back for the Art Museum where things were reaching their final touches. Night was already falling and we wanted to see the Museum light up with all of the decorations they put on the outside.

The night sky finally overtook the sun as it became instantly darker outside. The crowd of people grew quiet as spotlights flared up around the parking lot and the bright red pictures on the walls showed the signs of "Castelia Fashion Inc. presents its NEW Line of Trainers Clothing."

"Looks good." Sam said as the crowd began to fill up the Art Museums auditorium.

"Sure does, ready to go see what they have in store?" I asked

"F^ck yea man. I'm ready to party!" Sam replied happily, more excited for the party then the actual unveiling

We scooted into the building from the backdoor and I quickly found Kiera who had changed into a tight black dress and had dyed her hair red and black for the occasion. Seeing her like this really reminds me of the great decisions I've made in life…that's right, not seeing my name in the papers as a top trainer, seeing my girlfriend looking hot makes me smile and appreciate my decisions.

"Nervous yet?" I asked as we pulled up behind her at which she quickly gave me a slap on the arm. Apparently I had scared her. I laughed and gave her a hug, "Break a leg out there! It's going to be Fantastic!"

…eww…I can't believe I said that…f^cking Marlene…

She gave me a wide, toothy smile and went on stage with Marlene who had been talking to the crowd for the beginning of the show.

"Ladeez and Gentlemens, it ez my pleasure to introdouche to you the creator of this wonderful line! Ms. Kiera Knightly!" Marlene was practically yelling to the mic as she introduced Kiera to the sold out crowd. Kiera came out in her dress and they went nuts. She took a bow and I could see some tears start to show in her eyes from where I was watching backstage….although her eyes weren't the only thing I glanced at while she bowed….shut up…I'm a guy…

"An' now! I give you the next line from Castelia Fashion! Ladies and Gentleman! Boys and Girls! This Es TM87!"

Marlene and Kiera were both laughing as we continued telling stories over dinner at the steak house. The show had gone off without a hitch and TM87 was very well received by everyone there. After the show had ended, Marlene had invited us out for dinner while the guests enjoyed the after party. We had stayed for a little while to mingle, but seeing as Sam was the only really liking the crowded environment, we had decided to skip out. Marlene covered the check and we left the restaurant and reconvened outside, where we waited for her limo driver to arrive.

"Well, that was a terrific meal. But I think now is as good a time as any to head out," Sam said as he threw his new pack over his shoulder.

"You're leaving already?" Kiera asked half disappointed.

"Yup, I like traveling at night, and I want to get through the Desert Resort before it gets to hot. I should be in Nimbasa by morning, and from there I'll take the trains to Kalos." Sam replied standing up tall and taking in a deep breath

Kiera and Marlene both thanked him and gave him small hugs before I slowly walked to him and extended my hand

"Remember to call if you need help. Kiera and I will come flying your way in a heartbeat." I said in a serious tone

"Hahaha. I know bro. But traveling my home is something I've wanted to do way too long… and now that everything for Join Avenue and the preserve is clear, we finally get a chance to travel again… Let me tell you… I never felt more alive than when we were taking the gym challenges." Sam carried on, his eyes sparkling with that certain excitement he has

"Yeah, I'm going to be diving into the Frontier really soon. Kiera is going home to Kanto for a little while and then she's going to go through the coordinators tournaments in Hoenn." I replied

"Guess it's going to be a while before we see each other again then huh?" Sam asked looking me in the eyes

"Nah," I replied with a smile. " We're only ever a dragon's flight away…. Besides, we'll see each other come Christmas in a few months. So it won't be too long."

We gave each other a brief hug before he turned around and took off, his journey to Kalos beginning.

I turned back around to the Limo now parked on the side of the road and joined the girls inside for our ride back to the hotel. Marlene got out at her studio where she also lived and gave us each a lengthy goodbye since we would be leaving in the morning. The driver would be taking us back to our hotel so we sat back and relaxed for our last night seeing each other for a while.

"Do you have everything you need?" Kiera asked for the fifth damn time as we looked out over the Castelia skyline from the roof of the Castelia Tower by the helicopter we had taken here.

"Yess," I replied annoyed "Now, I'm going to take Supa as far as he can and then hike the rest of the way to Fluorescent City. They want me to have another look at the plans for the tower before I do my training."

Kiera looked pretty upset. But I knew she was going to be happy to be doing her coordinating again.

"Hey, I'll see you soon. And you can always call me on my Nav. Just one message and you know I'll be there in an instant." I said looking into her eyes seriously

Kiera let out a sigh as she leaned on my side, the wind on the roof blowing past us calmly.

"Guess it is time to go then." Kiera said as she stretched out and picked up her bag. "No use being upset. We all have things to do and the life of a trainer is never an easy one. We all have something we still want to accomplish. But when I see you next time, you better be twice as strong! And I'll know if you were slacking off too!"

I laughed heartedly and stood at attention saluting. It was an order from the captain after all. We said one more goodbye and I watched her climb on the helicopter that would take her back to the preserve and then where she would fly out to Kanto to see her family for the first time in years. I smiled as a watched her go, and then reached into my pack and pulled out the old black and white baseball cap I had worn when I first started my journey. It had been something of a good luck charm over the years. I reached behind my belt and summoned Supa, my shiny Golurk.

"Are you ready to get going bud?" I asked as Supa looked up into the sky and then back down at me again with a determined look on his face.

"Then lets Fly!" I yelled as I jumped off the railing to the building and started a fast descent to the street below. I could feel the cool morning wind in my face and then braced myself as Supa came up below me and caught me on his back as we flew through the sky towards Fluorescent City and the Frontier. It was time for a new adventure.


End file.
